Houten (ˈɦʌutə(n)) is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality consists of the following towns:
't Goy
Houten
Schalkwijk
Tull en 't Waal
The main town in the municipality is Houten, a commuter town about 9 km southeast of Utrecht. On 1 January 2020, the town had 50,177 inhabitants (municipality). The built-up area was in area, and contained 20,010 residences in 2018. The slightly larger statistical district of Houten had a population of about 39,100 in 2004.
Remains of a Roman villa have been found in the old centre of Houten, made visible in a street pattern. These remains were discovered in the 1950s.
In the Dark Ages, Houten took shape as a rural centre. The area of the municipality of Houten was divided in the so-called gerechten ("districts"), the names of which are still in use: Schonauwen, Wulven, Waijen, Heemstede.
Many elements of present-day Houten are remnants of its history. Prominent in the old centre (Het Oude Dorp, "The Old Town") are the Roman Catholic Church (1884) and the Protestant Church (1563). The first accounts of the older church date from the ninth century; the oldest parts of the present church building are probably from the eleventh century. Another prominent building is the restaurant-cafe De Engel ("The Angel"), already mentioned in the 16th century as a tavern.
Former access roads to the old centre are still recognisable by their names, such as the Odijkseweg and Loerikseweg. Houten had many orchards, but few have survived.
Modern Houten started to take shape late in the 20th century (1966–1998). It was first designated by the office of Wissing-Derks as a Groeikern -– a centre of growth –- to meet the needs of the growing city of Utrecht. From the beginning, urban planner-designer Robert Derks was involved with the development of New Town Houten. Construction of 10,000 new dwellings began in 1979, and the population grew from 4,000 to more than 30,000 by the end of the century.